


another shared sunset

by scattered_dream



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Sea Salt Trio Appreciation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-17 16:30:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18968986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scattered_dream/pseuds/scattered_dream
Summary: Axel can't decide which name he wants to go by, Roxas has feelings about it, and Xion enjoys watching her boys interact. Nothing can stop them now that they're together again.





	another shared sunset

"So... did you finally figure out which name you're going by now?" Roxas asked expectantly. 

Axel couldn't help but laugh. "Roxas, you've asked me that like every day now! It's almost like you really want me to choose or something," he said teasingly, pointing his ice cream at him. 

Roxas sighed, looking out at the train as it made its way smoothly across the track from seemingly nowhere into Twilight Town.

He hadn't been to Twilight Town for so long that the sunset somehow appeared even  _more_ vivid than he remembered it from his days before the battle against Xehanort and his cohorts. He didn't know if he was seeing it clearly or if his heart, finally beating contentedly in his chest, was forming an illusion of even brighter colours than his memory of the sunsets he'd witnessed here before. Either way, the rich oranges, purples, pinks, and reds painted a scene that was so beautiful it didn't seem _real_...

And yet it was. 

He idly wondered if similar feelings came to his newest friends - Ventus, Terra, and Aqua - when they watched the stars after their ten-year separation. Did they appear even brighter, as though they were dazzling to a greater degree, now that the three of them were finally back in the town in which they'd trained all those years ago? (What had Ventus called it? _The World of Departure? Land of Departure? Something like that_.) 

Maybe they were watching the stars right now; time ran differently depending on which world one was in, after all. Perhaps, while Roxas, Axel, and Xion looked out into the incandescent dusk, Ventus and his friends were looking out into an inky, nocturnal sky. 

The thought made Roxas smile. 

This was the first time Roxas, Axel, and Xion had climbed to the top of the clock tower again since their downfall. It struck a chord in Roxas, so much so that tears had gathered in his eyes the moment they reached the top and made to sit down on the ledge in the same order they always had - Axel sat the farthest to the right, Roxas in the middle, and Xion on the leftmost side. It had apparently become second nature to sit that way whenever the three of them were together. 

Though Roxas had sat on the clock tower with his two best friends countless times, there was something extremely special about being here with them now. The interval of time - what felt like years upon years - after everything that had gone on during Roxas and Xion's final days in the Organization made their reunion with each other and with Axel that much sweeter, and it showed that nothing could keep them apart anymore. 

Though Xion and Roxas had been pitted against each other from the moment Xion was created, though Axel had been caught in the middle and had to pick a side, though Roxas had left the Organization for good with a tremendous amount of hurt when Axel's secrets came to light, though he and Axel had fought when Roxas lost his memories of his time in Organization XIII (and more importantly, his memories of their _friendship_ ), though Xion had nearly been  _forgotten_ by both of them, as though she'd never existed in the first place... 

Their ties just couldn't be broken. 

Their will to remember Xion kept her locked firmly in both of their renewed hearts. 

Axel had initially had a hard time forgiving himself for the way he'd treated both Xion and Roxas towards the end of their time in the Organization, but the two younger Keyblade wielders assured their friend that all had been forgiven. The three of them were together again at last and finally had a chance to move forward, and they all agreed  _that_ was far more important than any of the drama they'd shared in the past. 

They sat on the ledge outlooking the bustling city with a sense of tranquillity such that they'd never felt during their days spent as members of the Organization. Sure, there had been peaceful moments here and there, but nothing such as the calm in their hearts now that Xehanort, Xemnas, and the rest of their comrades had been defeated. Plus, they each had their own completed body now, and were _finally_ able to coexist by each other's sides (rather than Roxas and Xion having to stay within Sora's heart, while Axel had been reborn, anxiously biding his time for their return). 

Roxas was distinctly sentient of this being the first time Axel had held his hand as they silently ate their ice cream. 

While Xion said nothing in regards to their interlocked hands, she smiled privately. If only her friends would glance over at her instead of the sunset, they would see how  _happy_ she was for them. 

The two were like brothers to her, and she'd known from way back when she had joined Axel and Roxas's already established friendship that there was more going on there. Their romance had been growing for what felt like years. 

She supposed they'd confirm their relationship to her sometime soon. Perhaps they were feeling shy about mentioning anything out loud just yet. No matter what the case, she cherished the affectionate scene unfolding in front of her. 

Axel finished his ice cream with a final chomp. "You know, Roxas... the whole reason I started going by 'Lea' again was because I no longer wanted to associate myself with Organization XIII. The name  _'Axel'_ reminded me of being stuck in that suffocating castle in The World That Never Was." He shook his head ruefully. 

"I get that," Roxas commented. "I mean, you both know how _I_ feel about the Organization," he added with a sigh. 

"Yeah, you made that pretty clear when you left," Axel huffed out with a humourless laugh that sounded rather hollow. 

Roxas leaned into him from the side, resting his head against Axel’s arm. "But... it wasn’t _all_ bad." 

"Are you referring to the days on which we didn’t have to attend those fucking _pointless_ meetings?" the redhead asked. Roxas's lips quirked up at that. 

"That's one thing I'm not so sad I was excluded from!" Xion quipped light-heartedly, and the three of them laughed together.

After a moment, Roxas's smile softened as he fiddled with his ice cream stick and looked up at Axel. "I mean... when we took our breaks together. When we met up here, you, me, and Xion," he said sincerely, glancing briefly back at his other companion with a smile.

"We didn’t have to say much. Just _being_ up here was good enough. I said to you once that I couldn't bear to lose my memories of you or Xion," he spoke sadly, and Axel instantly remembered the exact words Roxas had spoken that day. 

"And I lost more than my _memories_ \- I _lost_  you. _Both_ of you." He swallowed hard as tears welled up in his eyes once more. 

Axel reached forward to wipe a single tear away as it slid gracefully down his cheek. "You _have_ us, Roxy. We all have each other now." 

Roxas spluttered and nodded eagerly. "That's just it - now that we’re together again, I’m so... _happy_ that I don’t even know what to do with myself!" he laughed, relaxing further into Axel's body as he wrapped an arm around him. 

"Sitting up here and having ice cream together is a good start, if you ask me," Axel offered. 

"This is what we know best!" Xion agreed with her characteristically soft smile. 

Roxas grinned. "Where did we end up on your name, then?" he asked, gazing up at Axel, question in his bright eyes. 

Axel shook his head fondly. "You're never gonna give this up until I decide, are you?"

At the shake of Roxas's head against his chest, Axel faked a dramatic sigh. 

"If you want _my_ opinion..." the small blonde started, and Axel's interested gaze confirmed that he indeed wanted it - "I like _both_ of your names... But you’ll always be 'Axel' to me," he admitted, a relaxed smile lighting up his face. "That's how Xion and I have always known you. And... I like it that way," he added happily with an adorable little shrug. 

Something about hearing such honest words from his lips made Axel's decision clear in his mind. 

"Aw, _Roxy_... you’re such a sweetheart," he cooed, but the peck on his nose was what made Roxas flush pink. Axel thought he looked so pretty when he was flustered like this. 

"Shut up," Roxas murmured, though his smile remained. He was quite aware of Xion watching them knowingly, and it made his cheeks burn brighter. 

"How about this - _You_ two can still call me Axel, but I’ll tell everyone _else_ I’m officially going by 'Lea' again. Deal?" he proposed hopefully. 

"Yeah,” Roxas laughed. "That sounds good." Axel grinned and looked to Xion for approval. She gave him a tiny nod and a thumbs-up and he exhaled a sigh of a relief, glad to have that behind him. 

"We’ll just have to see if it sticks, you know?" he commented with a smile, thinking of the many times he'd attempted to correct Sora and Riku, only to have them continuously refer to him as 'Axel.' 

Roxas hummed softly, thinking along the same lines. "Maybe it’ll be weird for Sora and Riku at first, but Ventus, Terra, Aqua, and Isa won't have trouble with it," he said thoughtfully. 

"You must have spent too much time with Ienzo when he was helping you get your body back; he _always_ does that!" Axel exclaimed, gesturing to Roxas's finger resting on his chin. He accepted the jab to his ribs as he agreed with his statement - "You're right, though. Everyone will get it memorized in time, even Riku and Sora." 

Xion suddenly let out a gasp, just loud enough that it made both of the boys jump. "What's going on, Xion?" Roxas asked as he turned to look at her, and Axel peered over his shoulder curiously. 

She giggled as she held up her ice cream stick - she must have just finished her cool, blue treat - that stated she was a winner. 

"All  _right!"_ Axel said with a nod of appreciation and a bright grin. "Nice going, Xion!" 

"Now we can finally figure out what exactly you win!" Roxas cheered, nudging his friend and watching her small smile grow. 

Axel sheepishly ran a hand through his long red spikes as he remembered something. "Funny enough... guess what I still have?" he asked with an awkward chuckle. 

Roxas and Xion blinked at him curiously as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an identical ice cream stick with the same word printed in all capital letters - WINNER. 

"Wow! How long have you had that?" asked Xion excitedly, clearly surprised at the sight of yet another winning ice cream stick; it certainly wasn't every day they saw one of them, let alone _two!_

Axel looked down at Roxas, who had gone silent as he stared up at him with wide, watery eyes. "You okay?" he asked gently. 

"You kept it... all this time?" Roxas asked in awe. 

At Xion's questioning look, Axel explained: "Roxas left this in an envelope for me the day he left the castle for good." His voice cracked and he cleared his throat hastily, turning away from them, gazing instead into the warm colours of the sunset, hoping his best friends wouldn't notice the emotion in his voice and the wetness behind his eyelids. At the same time, however, he knew they already had. 

Xion smiled softly. "You kept that in your pocket for so long... it shows how much Roxas means to you. You're sweet, Axel." 

Her words didn't go unheard by Roxas, who blushed again and looked down at his lap. 

Axel ducked his head. "Ah, I don’t know about _that_ ," he murmured, but Roxas squeezed his hand affectionately. 

A few minutes passed, the three best friends sitting in complete serenity, enjoying each other’s company as they admired the sunset in its everlasting glory. 

"I say it's high time we get out of these dusty old things!" Axel announced suddenly, gesturing to their cloaks. "Have to admit, though... we _do_ look pretty stylish," he sighed, distantly mourning the loss of his Organization coat. He actually really liked their sleek design.  _Oh, well._

It was time to move forward. And now that the three of them were reunited, they didn't need them to signify their connection anymore. They had each other, and that was much better than three cloaks could ever be. 


End file.
